


Injured

by Jedi9



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Smut, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Building Story, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Vaginal Fingering, free form writting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-11-30 21:08:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11471694
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi9/pseuds/Jedi9
Summary: The story happens right after the Archon flagship mission. Peebee's feelings toward Ryder become deeper than she expected.





	1. Aftermath

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't complete yet, just wanted to post it and see if you guys liked it before finishing the story. Also, this is my first FF, so please leave me any suggestions in the comment below and let me know if I mist any tags or warnings. I make things up as I go and I hope you enjoy;)

Chapter 1 Aftermath

Peebee knows that she should say something, but she hasn't got a clue as to how to act in this situation. After that aweful mission on the Archon's flag ship, after seeing Ryder dying for the first time, as SAM stopped her hart to free her from the immobilazing field, to see her fall hard on the ceramic floor, beeing unable to touch and help their pathfinder has left her with an unknown feeling inside. Was it fear, fear of loosing a woman that she has grown fond of? She hadn't known that she felt this way toward Ryder or anyone else ever before for that matter.

Yes they had sex several times before, but she never wanted any strings attached, though it was obvious that Ryder wanted for them to be more than friends, but it never went that far. Ryder had accepted Peebee's conditions, probably because it was the closest she could get to her.

But now, the asari felt something new as she watched Ryder, alone in the communication deck. Her long brown hair dressed in a ponytail, her piercing blue eyes wandering around without a purpose. She seemed lost and sad, confused even.  
That was the first time that Peebee saw the young pathfinder like that, and it came with a feeling of guilt. Maybe just maybe, if she had said yes to the human's offer to start a relationship, maybe she wouldn't be feeling this way right now.

But no, she had been to selfish to consider this. All she had wanted out of Ryder was to have fun sexualy. The reason she had embarked on the Tempest; to discover more about the remnant and never be bored again.

“Idiot, you're so stupid Peebee” she murmured to herself. “After all that Sara has done for you, helping you by finding remtechs to use, beeing there for you when you needed her and that's how you thank her, by letting her down like that”.

The pathfinder finally left the observatory and headed toward her room. The asari decided that it was time to do something for the human for a change. She left the bunks and stepped in front of Sara, blocking her way completely.  
“Hey, are you okay?” She asked. “I shiver to think what that asshole meant to do to you.” Sara's eyes burned bright for a moment, making her look like herself for a little while, but went blank just as fast.  
“I hated to see you...die like that, I thought I was dearing and death defying, but you?”  
Ryder's lips finally began to move, her lungs filling themeselves with air to let her beautiful voice come out. “I did what I had to to get us out of there.” she said, just like that, like it wasn't a big deal. But Peebee heard the faint breaking of her soft voice, and she knew that the young explorer had only said these words to make the asari feel better. It wasn't working at all.

“You say that but deep down you know that there is more Ryder.” she stated. Ryder's eyes widened a little, her mouth opening slightly.  
“How do you...”  
“C'mon Ryder, you think I didn't hear the tremor in your voice?” she asked, putting a reassuring smile on her face. Peebee took two steps toward the human, lifted her hand to strike gently on her soft cheeks, passing her fingers on Ryder's lips on her way up. Sara liked that, she could tell by the way her breathing increased.  
Then, the beautiful human started crying, her blue eyes drowning in water. Tears ran down her cheeks and onto Peebee's fingers. She knew that there was something else going on with Ryder, Sara just needed time to realize that she had just died and came back to life again. Now, now it had hit her straight in the face, and hard.  
She grabed Ryder's waiste and gently pulled her forward, feeling Sara's hart pounding on her chest. They strode toward the Pathfinder's Quarters. They walked at a steady pace until Peebee's legs hited the edge of the Pathfinder's bed. She twisted around throwing Ryder gently on it.

The asari took her time to crawl slowly over Sara's body, kissing her on her chin and cheeks. Her hands made their way toward the bottom of Ryder's shirt, lifting it gently and throwing it somewhere on the floor. Peebee patted gently her companion's soft belly, feeling her warm skin on her hands gave her some kind of reassurance. Reassurance that her friend, her would be lover, was safe and sound. It also made Peebee feel an unfamiliar but not unwelcomed warm feeling growing in her chest. The human had that much of an effect on her.  
She kissed Ryder full on lips, a deep and tender kiss, and one that really meant something. They kissed a lot before, but it never was like that in the past. She wanted Ryder to feel better, to give her partner the feeling that she was safe. Peebee passed her tongue through Ryder's lips and settled it on her companion's own, moving one hand toward Ryder's thigh at the same time.  
The feeling of Peebee's hand on a part she wasn't used to be touched, made Sara shiver, her skin was on fire and she needed more. She wanted the asari to touch every part of her. After everything that had happened the last two months, Ryder needed to feel contact on her, to be kissed and taken care of, instead of helping out everybody in Heleus. It wasn't that she hated helping, because Sara loved aiding her peers, but she also needed some free time too.  
Peebee sudenly moved her hand slightly upward, stoping at Ryder's clit and teasing it with one finger, moving in circle at a sluggish pace, delighted to hear her counterpart moane at the soft touch. Ryder's body was appealing and Peebee thought so each time that she saw her naked. There was also something else that attracted the women, a much more deeper thing than just her partner's appearance.  
Ryder apparently wanted more, impatiantly moving her hips upward, her sex hitting the flat of Peebee's palm. Sara wanted Peebee to be inside her, to explore her depths, but the asari only chuckled and moved her hand slightly to the side.  
''Peebee...please.'' Ryder moaned harder, her breathing becoming more and more hectic as she squirmed on her bed.  
When Pelesseria B'Sayle decided that Ryder was prepared enough, she slowly slid one finger in Sara's sex, her companion already wet. Peebee was feeling her brain go a little fuzzy at the noizes and soft moans and cries that Ryder was making, delighted herself in every sounds.  
''Shit...'' it was a good thing, Sara thought, that she was lying down instead of standing, because she could already feel her muscles locking and her legs weakening. Sweat was begining to coat her body, her breathing going higher and higher at every strokes of Peebee's fingers.  
Sara's heart was in overdrive, her senses overwhelmed and diziness was now taking hold of her. She didn't know that she wanted the asari that much. Maybe too much for no strings attached, but at the moment, the pathfinder didn't care, she was too entranced in Peebee to worry herslef with that.  
That very moment made Sara remember the very first encounter she'd had with this special women, her beeing thrown to the floor by an utter stranger. It had happened so fast, one moment she was standing, the other lying on her back with this very attractive blue women on her laps, a sweet smile on her face.  
Reliving this memory made Ryder's body tremble, her hands gripping on the bed sheets as she reached her peak. Sara moaned heavily and screamed her counterpart's name as she rode the orgasm out. Aftershocks took control of the pathfinder's body causing her to twitch.  
Peebee slowly slid her fingers out of Sara, teasing her clit one more time before kissing the human on the lips, tasting her soft and sweet flesh.  
''That was...'' Ryder began to speak but the asari softly cut her off.  
''Amazing.''she finished. Peebee was still unsure what it was, that thing that they had, but she knew one thing for sure, she never wanted Ryder to suffer because of her, she wanted her to have a purpose, a reason to comeback from her missions safe and sound. Maybe it was time to move on their relationship, to put strings to it, soon.  
''Ya know Sara, you can talk to me whenever you want. If you have anything on your mind that bothers you, you can tell me.''  
That took Sara by surprise. She was't use to see this side of Peebee, the one that shared stuff with others. It made her feel that warm feeling in her guts again, that strange and soothing warmness that crawled all the way to her chest.  
''Thanks Peebee.'' and she ment every word of it.

 

Weeks have past since the event at Ryder's cabin, and the pathfinder hadn't taken up on her offer to share her burdens, and it made Peebee a little frustrated. She knew she shouldn't be, but she couldn't help herself. Has moved to fast? Had she taken advantage of the vulnerable state that Ryder was that day, to satisfy her needs?

No, all that Peebee had said and thought that day, she truly ment all of them. Then why in the hell hadn't Sara told her anything by now?  
Unconsciously, Peebee started pacing from wall to wall in the escape pod, her mind thinking faster than ever before, her mouth mumbling incoherent words, when Ryder's voice came from the framing of the door.  
The asari jumped at the sound of that sweet voice. She was so lost in her thoughts that she hadn't notice Sara was here.  
''Ryder, shit... You shouldn't sneak up on someone like that!'' That only made the human chuckle softly. Great, she had made a fool out of herself yet again.  
''Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, but we have received a call from Pedromos, they need our help to get ride of some Kett patrols near site 1.''  
Finally some action, just what the asari needed right now, she've been on the tempest for four days straight and she badly needed to get out and explore.  
''Great! Let me grab my stuff and I'll be with you in a minute''Peebee said, her excitement showing in her tone.

The temperature on Eos was a little bit higher than usual that day, and Ryder was sarting to feel the heat take its toll on her. Sweat was coating the entirety of her body, getting into her eyes and making it harder to see. The reports claimed that the Kett were patroling near the area of the abandoned site 1, but they hadn't seen any so far.  
''Are we sure about the authenticity of those reports Ryder?''asked Drack, the old and grumpy krogan on her team.  
Sudenly, as if to answer Drack's question, more than a dozen Ketts emerged out of nowhere, guns blazing at them. Sara's shields took the brunt of the bullets but it could only withstand a few volleys. She tried to duck behind a rock, diving as fast as she could.  
Ryder wasn't quick enough, and a bullet hitted her straight in the back, throwing her a couple inches away form her intended target. She fell hard, her helmet hitting the sandy ground.  
Adrenaline kicked in and she got up and took cover behind the closest rock.  
''Ryder!''Peebee exclaimed, her expression filled with obvious anxiety.  
''It's nothing, I'm fine.'' replied Sara. She knew that she must be bleeding badly, but they didn't have time to worry about it right now, not with a fight raging around them.  
Drack charged at the ketts from the right flank, crushing everybody who stood in his way. Peebee, for her part, standing behind the safety that the rock provided, threw a singularity from cover. Four Ketts flew around in the air, giving Ryder something to aim. The pathfinder quickly disposed of them with headshots, her M-8 Avenger blazing. Five minutes later, it was all over, the ketts were dead and the site safe.  
''Good work everyone...''Ryder's voice was weekening. Now that the adrenaline was totally gone from her system, she was fully aware of the extent of her injuries. Sara tried to take a step forward, feeling dizzy all of the sudden, and all she managed to do was to tumble on her right side.  
''Sara! Your back, it's worst that I thought, your losing to much blood.'' Peebee was by her side the moment the pathfinder fell to the ground. Her heart was pounding and a dreadful feeling began to grow in her chest.  
''We need to get you back to the Tempest, Now!'' Ryder was going in and out of consciousness, her back becoming more numb by the seconds.

It took ten minutes for the shuttle to finaly arrive. Lexi rushed out as soon as the doors opened, her assistants deploying a stretcher behind her. Peebee was holding Sara as tight as she could without hurting her, letting the unconscious pathfinder's head rest on her laps.  
She was so focused on protecting the pathfinder that when Lexi approached, her biotics flared in reflex.  
''Calm down Peebee, it's just me!'' said Lexi  
''Sorry, just a little on edge.''Peebee replied, embarrassment showing on her face, her eyes shifting from the doctor back toward Sara's inert body.

Her eyes were flooded in tears, Ryder couldn't die again, not like that, not lying unconscious and bloody on Peebee's laps. Pelesseria couldn't handle the mere thought of loosing the only women that she cared about in the whole galaxy. Two minutes later, they managed to carefully place the pathfinder on the stretcher and secure her in the shuttle. Lexi immediately went to work, taking Ryder's armor off piece by agonizing piece. It wasn't an easy task to accomplish, but having a Krogan and being biotic really helped to speed things up. The doctor opened the back of Sara's undersuit, revealing a bloody mess. Scans revealed that the bullet had stuck itself between Ryder's shoulder blades but nearly missed her spine by mere millimeters. _Good_ , Peebee thought, _at least she won't be paralized_. At that moment, the same feeling that she had in her gut the last time they got together, came back to her, the one that told her that she really cared about that crazy human more than she thought could be possible since Kalinda. The trip took only a few minutes, but to Peebee, who had been standing next to Ryder the whole trip, it felt like hours had passed before reaching the hospital. ''You'll have to wait outside the surgery room Peebee.'' Lexi had told her, but she ignored the good doctor and followed them in anyway. She wouldn't let anyone seperate her from Sara and she was more than ready to use her biotics on the first fool who dared getting in her way. Fortunately, it hadn't come to that. The doctors had been wise enough to let the asari sit in a corner of the room. Peebee watched as they extracted the bullet and placed it in a metal bowl, she stared at Sara's face while the surgeons stitched the wound on her back. ''She is stable and, no real damages were inflicted.'' Lexi finally reported after two hours of procedures. ''They are transfering her on the Tempest under my supervision.'' Peebee only noded, her throat to tight to speak, her eyes were heavy and bloodshot because of the crying and her whole body felt like a kett transport had rolled over her. _Shit Ryder, you see what your causing me?_


	2. I'm here for you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks a lot for all the Kudos guys, it is really appreciated. I tried something different for this chapter and I hope that you enjoy ;).

Back on the Tempest, everybody were waiting for some news about Ryder's conditions in the comm room, everybody but Peebee. Liam was pacing impatiently, while Drack was sitting on a couch with Vetra, talking about why Sara's shields malfunctioned, and Cora was staring at the peaceful stars outside. When doctor T'Perro finally climbed the stairs, the whole crew stopped whatever they were doing, and stared at her with expectations.

''She's waiking up'' announced the good doctor. When she saw them stumbling down the stairs toward the med bay, she quickly said- ''But she will need to rest, so be gentle and do not drown her in questions''

. _Good, she's waking up_ , thought Peebee who had yet to leave the pathfinder's sides. She looked at Ryder twitching slightly as she slowly began to regain consciousness, all the tubes and wires pluged on her made Peebee feel uncomfortable. At least there were no one else around, well for a few more seconds anyway. Lexi had left to get the others who were impatiently waiting for the chance to see their beloved leader. Until then, Pelesseria will cherish this rapidly fleeting moment alone with Ryder.

She took her hand and gently squeezed it to let Ryder know, when she'll be fully awake, that she was here for her. What the asari was feeling toward Ryder was more than she bargained for, it had strings on it, a lot of them too. It was getting more complicated than she'd like it to. _That is why I don't do people_. She mentally told herself, but she couldn't help it, however how hard she tried, she couldn't stop her feelings from invading her. Maybe it was for the best?

The hiss of the opening door and the chatter of the crew that grew closer to her as they were entering the med bay snapped her out of her trence. Was it just her, or did the room suddenly felt over populated?

Ryder's vision was blurred, her eyes heavy. She blinked once, twice, trying in vein to clear her sight. She felt a presence to her left and a very pleasant warmness on her hand from the same side. She saw colors infront and around her, muffled sound emmanating in every directions, crude bright lights attacking her vision giving her a headache. Sara felt dizzy, the world seemed to whirl upside down and she couldn't breath, she was drowning in mud, drowning and choking.

The monitors where beeping at a maddening speed, and the pathfinder's eyes suddenly shot wide open, she was breathing insanely fast, her vital signs were all over the place. Peebee, feeling Ryder's hand tremble under her own, tried to calm Sara down but it wasn't going anywhere fast. What was going on? Everybody was on edge, moving in all directions, trying to help the best they could.

At that moment Lexi boomed into the room, her expression furious. ''Leave her some space!'' she shouted. That did the job, because they all stood still, not even a muscle was twitching in the whole room beside Ryder's. Lexi stepped next to Peebee and laid a hand on Sara's forehead.

''Sara, it's all right, you're safe onboard the Tempest. Look, I'm here and so is all your team.'' That seemed to calm Ryder, because her body gradually stoped it's convulsions. ''That's it, keep breathing slowly.'' the doctor continued, helping Ryder to settle back on the bed. Peebee couldn't help but to feel a bit jealous at Lexi's efficiency in handling the situation. It was a silly thought and she knew it, but deep inside her, she had hoped to be the one helping Sara.

''Hey Peebs'' Ryder's voice was small and frail as she said those words. Just speaking seemed to hurt a lot, Peebee could see it in the way Ryder's eyes were looking at her. ''Hey yourself'' she answerd, voice breaking. The asari's eyes were wattering, she was on the verge of crying again.

''Lexi said that you're going to be confined in the ship for a few weeks, maybe we should do the movie night. What do you think?'' asked Liam, a smurk on his face.

''Next time kid, try to dive faster!'' exclaimed Drack flashing a smile as he said it

. ''We should take a look at your shields to try to figure out why it didn't absorb the bullet.'' stated Vetra, stepping in front of the old Krogan. Many more questions where beign asked and Peebee felt Ryder stiffen on the bed. Lexi seemed to have noticed too, she stood up and glared at the others.

''All of you out!'' she said firmly, ushering them out, the door closing behind them. But before exiting herself, she said to Peebee-

''Go easy with her Peebee, she needs to rest and frankly, so do you''.

Peebee noded and watched her leave, sealing the door behind her. Finally some peace and intimacy. She stared down at Ryder and brushed her cheek with her right hand. Sara felt so soft under her fingers, the contact sent electric jolts in Peebee's fingers. Ryder was warm, a sign that reminded the asari that she was alive and breathing.

''Peebee...'' Ryder started to say, but her words were muffled as Peebee's lips landed on her's, kissing her with deep passion. She felt Peebee's hand sneaking behind her head, grabing softly her long brown hair, playing with them. Sara's body tensed as Peebee's fingers teased her breast, wich resulted in a sharp spike of pain that made her yelped. Peebee immediately let go of Ryder, ending the kiss abrubtly.

''Sorry, that was stupid.'' she said quickly. ''But, in my defense, you look very hot in that hospital blouse.''Ryder laughted softly, wich brought another wave of pain through her back.

''Peebee, would you stay with me for the night?'' Ryder asked, hesitant and unsure of Peebee's reaction. To her astonishment, the blue asari stared at her, with her bright hazel eyes, and said-

''Y'know, I was kind of hoping you''d ask.'' She unstraddled herself away from Ryder, walked toward the nearest bed and sat, watching Sara as she lowered her head on the pillow.

''Night Ryder''.

''Good night Peebee'' answered Sara, her mind more rested and at peace now that Peebee was with her.


	3. Caring about you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a more intimate and personal chapter between Sara and Peebee. I excuse myself for all misspelling if you see any. Thanks again for all the Kudos left it really helps. Feel free to let me know what you think of the story so far in the comments ;)

Ryder was exhausted from all the excitement of the past weeks. First, she had died again, killed by her own AI to free herself and her teammates from that weird immobilizing field that the Archon had used on them.  
That alone had been stressful and hard enough on her mental health, but only two weeks latter, she almost died from a kett bullet to the back. Vetra had told her that her shields had malfunctioned, but she had promised that she would fix it before Ryder got better.  
She slumped on her bed, her face landing on her comfy pillows, her legs lying lazily at the edges. She was drained, every muscles and limbs were incredibly heavy and she found herself appreciating the comfort and privacy of her quarters more than ever.  
She was tired of dying, of running everywhere in heleus, of worrying herself with whether her performance as a pathfinder would please her father or not.  
Sara was about to fall into the embrace of sleep when she heard a faint knock on her door.  
''Sam, open the door'' she grumbled, her eyes half shut. She heard footsteps from behind her, growing stronger and stronger. She suddenly felt a balmy breath on the side of her neck, smooth hands running through her jawline and then she heard a voice.  
''Hey, I've got something for you''said Peebee, joyfully. She waited for Ryder to fully wake up, the blue of her eyes were like clear waters, beautiful and peaceful. Apparently she had been staring longer than she realized, because Sara' face looked confused.  
''Here''she finally said.''It's a remnant device for your armor, a remshield booster I call it. Put it next to your shield generator so that when it fails, my little baby will juice it back up.'' She saw Ryder's eyes light up, and she knew that the pathfinder liked it. That smile is intoxicating, it makes me feel all mushy and warm and at peace, argh, damn you Ryder, Peebee thought.  
''Thanks, that's gonna be usefull for when I can finally go back on the field.''Sara said, impatience creeping in her voice as she finished. It has only been three days since the incident, but it felt to her like weeks had gone by. Paperwork was killing her, and there was a lot of that, plus she had her daylies with Lexi, stim shots, pills prescription and all that. Her back was burning constantly but the drugs helped, but it also made her mind sluggish, and Ryder really hated that. One time, when the pills kicked in, she could swear that she heard Sam hum some kind of chorus, weird.  
''Impatient to be getting shot at are we?'' Peebee asked cheerfully. ''You should know that it's still an untested tech before you go all kamikaze on the kett.''  
''Atleast I'm going to be the first one to test it'' Sara winked at Peebee, her grin widening.  
The asari found difficult not to jump on Ryder -like that very first day on Eos, to kiss her fiercely. If the pathfinder was feeling the same way, she didn't let it show. Most of the time, Sara was that good at keeping her emotions in check.  
Sara's grin faded from her face and was replace by a wince of pain, her eyes were wattering and she asked-  
''Could you go get some medi-gel please?'' Peebee was already searching in her drawers, but without success.  
''Where do you keep em?'' she asked quickly.  
''In the bathroom, it's in the medicine cabinet to your right'' Ryder said through clenched teeth. Damn it hurted like hell and it felt as if it would never stop.  
That feeling quickly disolved as Peebee's expert hands carefully lifted her shirt and the bloodied bandages and applied the welcomed gel on her bruised and battered back. Sara sighed heavily, inhaling air in ragged breaths. Breathing still hurt a lot and she constantly felt like she was out of air, though Lexi had assured her that it was only in her mind.  
''Thanks''she said in a thin voice, putting a reassuring smile on her face.  
''No problem''Peebee answered, lowering the pathfinder's shirt back on her. She wanted to touch all of Sara's body, every fibers in her body wanted to kiss her on the lips, on her neck and below and below. But she resisted because she was well aware of Ryder's current condition.  
Not that it would stop the daring pathfinder from a seance of stress relief with the asari, so Peebee knew that she had to be the reasonable one.  
When Ryder reached up for a kiss, she easily dodged the injured human and lifted a finger, holding Sara's lips.  
''Nah-an, you're not in a condition for any excitment today missy'' the way she had said it sounded more caring than usually. Damn, that feeling of deeper affection for Sara came back in her guts, hunting her.

''So you do care about my well-being after all'' countered Sara, a smirk on her lips.  
Of course Ryder had noticed the change in her tone, she wasn't named pathfinder for no reason. Well, shit.  
For the short amount of time that they had known each other, Ryder had become the only person to get close in such a way to Peebee since her ex. She was better in any ways, weird and difficult sometimes, but a good person who puted the needs of others before her own.  
''Is everything all right Peebs?''Ryder asked, a quizzical look on her face.  
''What, yea of course, why?'' she quickly answered.  
''You spaced out for a minute'' Sara's tone was casual, but the asari could tell, by the look in her eyes, that Ryder was deeply concerned, even if she was trying to hide it from Peebee.  
Peebee's hand waved off her worries aside, putting a confident grin on her face.  
''Don't worry about it Ryder, I do that sometimes, when I have a lot on my mind'' she said, trying to put Ryder at ease, that one already had enough shit on her mind already, Sara shouldn't add this on that long list.  
Still, the pathfinder wasn't convinced, so when she began to get up on her feet, clearly ignoring the growing pain between her shoulder blades, Peebee grabbed her by the shoulders and kindly pushed her back onto the bed. Relentless as she was, Ryder took hold of Peebee's waist before falling back, shoving the slightly startled asari down with her, Peebee hovering above her, straddling her, bright eyes gleaming back at her.  
Ryder could bathe in the beauty that was Pelessaria B'Sayle, drowning in the brownish green of her eyes until the end of time. The simple fact that Peebee was standing inches away from her face brought a relaxing feeling of safety in Sara, her blue body protecting and warming her own at the same time.  
The body to body contact sent jolts in Ryder's guts that made her feel alive for the first time in days. She wanted to let Peebee know the effects that her mere presence had on her, but she was too afraid at how she would react if she did.  
Maybe Peebee would run away, ejecting herself in the escape pod, hurtling away on the nearest world, never coming back, leaving her alone in despair. On the other hand, she might decide to stay,-that was merely a childish fantasy, and tell Ryder that she probably felt the same way. One could hope.  
Her train of thoughts were interrupted when Peebee landed a lengthy wet kiss on her lips, making her brain go all fuzzy, letting go of all the tension and anxiety that had plagued her head.  
Ryder parted her lips open, letting her partner's tongue play with hers, moaning slowly as the asari's hand explored her plains and tousled her hair.  
Peebee's touch went from soft to frantic as her desire for Sara grew more and more. She had tried to avoid the situation but Ryder had literally thrown her into it. The damn human was to stubborn for her own good, and now Peebee wasn't sure she could stop herself from satisfying her needs.  
Ryder's clothes were obstacles that Peebee needed to get rid of, she quickly got rid of Sara's top tank shirt, throwing it away. As she striped Ryder of her bra, she felt the pathfinder's fingers taking hold of her tight pants, pushing downward.  
Soon, her clothes were lying on the floor next to Ryder's, their bodies rubbing together, generating heat.  
Sara was breathing hard now, ignoring the pain that was resurging. She and Peebee were finally alone, relishing herself in the heated moment that they were engaged in. A wave of pleasure stroke Ryder when Peebee fondled at her clit, teasing her already sticky sex.  
She gasped as two fingers thrusted inside her, goosebumps were running down her spine, her head was buzzing and spinning. She wanted more, needed more, she craved for more touching, more kisses.  
And more is what she got. Peebee was all over Sara, one hand probing in her rapidly, the other grabbing the pathfinder's breast with lust and playing with Sara's erect nipples. The asari was nibbling playfully at the nape of Sara's neck, more shivers running on her back.  
Ryder screamed, she had ignored the burn in her back for too long and the pain was now unbearable. Peebee hastily pulled her fingers out and used both hands to steady the now very agitated Ryder on the bed.  
Guilt was growing in Peebee's gut, she should have stoped this, she shouldn't have allowed the situation to go that far. This thing that made her lose herself everytime she was near Ryder had allowed her to forget about the pathfinder's injuries.  
''Vital signs increasing exponentially'' announced Sam in the rooms channel. ''Should I inform doctor T'Perr...''  
''No!'' shouted Sara, stopping her AI from alerting Lexi. Peebee seemed a little suprised that Ryder was so on edge at the mention of the doctor.  
''She'll kill me for not taking things slower, besides I'm not in the mood for another lecture on restraining myself and all'' she explained, looking at Peebee as she did so.  
''I hear you, that women is scary when she is angry.'' Peebee said smiling. ''Sara, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come into your room, it was a mistake.'' her voice was breaking and she felt tears forming in her eyes as she stood and headed for her wrinkled clothes on the floor. She knew that she couldn't control herself near Ryder, and now Sara was suffering because of her.  
''Hey, what's wrong?'' Ryder asked, her voice filled with puzzlement, her blue eyes locking with the asari's.  
''I didn't want to hurt you, I'm such an idiot'' Peebee answered between sobs.  
''Come here'' Ryder patted at a vacant place next to her, motioning the asari to sit with her. Once Peebee reached her, she laced one arm on her shoulders, affectionately hugging her, Peebee's head resting on her shoulder.  
''It's not your fault, I was careless and I pushed things a little too far.'' she told Peebee, trying to make her feel better. ''See, I told you that you cared about me.'' she said, chuckling.  
That had the desired effect, Peebee's tears stopped and she erupted in laughter, the two of them laughing abundantly.


	4. A new path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for all the likes, this is the final and longest chapter I've ever written. I haven't proof read it yet but will pretty soon so sorry for any misspelling.

Peebee was thrilled that Ryder was feeling much better after two weeks of recovering, but that sentiment of sheer happiness for her friend was being shadowed by a very strong anger that was boilling in her gut, threatening to consume her whole body if she didn't keep it in check.

Kalinda, her pain in the ass ex-girlfriend, had sneaked into the Tempest while they were in the slums on notorious Kadara Port, stealing her Remnant bot Poc during her Tour of the ship. She was so pissed off that she could have teared open the closest door from its hinges using her biotics.

Ryder looked unhappy and she was now fidgeting with the handle of her holstered gun, one finger on her ear as Kallo finished relating the information to her via the comlink.  
''How the hell did that happen?'' Ryder asked, dumbfounded, her face was becoming a little more red as a result of all the pressure and anger building up inside her.

If Kalinda had damaged Poc in any way, Peebee wasn't sure what she would do to her, but one thing was certain, their relashonship was definitely over. Her thoughts were interrupted when her ex's irritating voice came over the comm. That fool had the nerves to leave her a recorded message while trespassing in her room.

''Ryder, it's Kalinda T'Reve, Pelessaria's... well, whatever she calls me these days. Please tell her thank you for the nifty bot. I hope the rem-tech piece my crew took will be adequate payment, and no need to wait for my Krogan friend, he and his outlaws work for me, ta.'' the message ended abruptly, irritating Peebee even more.

Ryder wasn't pleased that Kalinda had managed so easily to sneak into her ship, roaming freely in its corridors, her filthy hands taking Peebee's stuff just to get to her ex. Kallo had assured her that nothing else was taken but that did little to appease her troubled mind.

''Sorry you're catching Kalinda's crap now Ryder, you don't have to deal with this-I'll take care of this on my own, I promise.'' Peebee felt bad for Sara, she had never intended to make her life harder but she had clearly failed, all because of her old former friend Kalinda.

''Hey, we're in this together'' Sara's voice was very soft for someone who obviously was angry, but her answer suprised Peebee more than the way she had said it. Why would Ryder accept so easily to help her, Peebee was clearly the reason all of this happened and yet the pathfinder wasn't pissed off at her, not even a bit.

Were Sara's feelings for her so strong that she would blindly do anything to help her, just so they could spend more time together. 

''Uh...Thanks Ryder. When I have a lead on getting Poc back, I'll let you know'' Peebee was anxious to leave the planet, she never liked that stomach-churning miserable excuse of a world.

Staying in one place longer than needed always made her uneasy, it was even stronger now that they knew that the Tempest was so easy to infiltrate. They reakky had to up their security and Peebee had a few ideas for that. For now, she will put everything she had in finding her bot back and make that bitch pay for stealing it from her.

***

Finding Poc turned out to be less difficult then Peebee thought, it was only a matter of asking the proper people. Having Ryder along helped a lot when it came to intimidating the only guy who knew where Kalinda's safe houses were.

What was his name again, Simick, oh right, Samrick, wasn't the most chatty fellow, but Ryders' charm had made the crook talk so fast that it had surpised the asari. Her efficiency in intimidation would have surely brought a smile to Drack's wide face.

Now they knew precisely where to look for her beloved lost bot. It was at the Krogan colony on Elaaden, another planet she loathed because of its hellish temperature. The Krogans described this place as a paradise, but to to Peebee it was far from her definition of heaven.

Even the nomad's air conditioner couldn't provide enough cool air for them and Ryder had quickly demonstrated her dissatisfaction by punching the dash board and cursing aloud, breathless and sweaty. Peebee had chuckled at the outburst of anger, wich had rapidly brought a smirk on Sara's face.

''You look like you need some stress relief Ryder'' Peebee teased her, putting more sensuality in her voice. They were alone in the car, Drack was gone to the colony to talk to his Krogan brothers, and the asari was yearning for some skin to skin contact with Ryder.

Peebee's tease cause Sara to momentarily loose control of the rover causing it to spin wildly. Peebee was thrown out of her seat when the car violently jolted to the right, landing hard on Ryder's laps, her head bumping with the human on her way down. Not really the kind of body contact that she was looking for. The car finally settled and an uncomfortable silence fell in the nomad.

Ryder's head hurted like hell and that made her cursed again, shouting obscenities so loud that it made Peebee laugh again, her whole body shaking uncontrollably on Ryder's legs.

''You shouldn't be the one complaining right now Ryder, I'm not the one with a head as strong as a Krogan's frontal plate'' said Peebee between two laughs, gently rubbing her aching forehead at the same time.

***  
That incident behind them, they eventually reached the safe house they were looking for. As Sara brought the nomad to a stop near the small building, Peebee jumped so fast out of the car that it made her jump in her seat.

Her head, still feeling as if a salarian was playing drum on it, Sara reluctantly exited the nomad, putting on her initiative's helmet, she pulled her sidearm out of its holster, holding it with two hands like she had been trained to do.

There was no way of telling how many outlaws were inside and she'd rather take her precautions to avoid being shot at, again.

It was still hard for her to prepare her mind for an upcoming battle since the incident, her stomach lurched and her heart was pounding in her chest, causing her sweaty hands to shake ever so slightly.

Peebee, who was already at the door with her gun in hands as well, turned and noticed that Sara was strugling to keep up with her. That was odd, considering the fact that the pathfinder always managed to follow her fast paced life style.

''Ryder are you all right?'' she asked, puzzled. Ryder made a face behind her visor, shrugging at her.

''Of course'' she tried to convice Peebee and herself, but between her voice that squeaked as she finished her sentence and her shaking hands, it was clearly obvious that she was doing very poorly, even a blind Angara could see it.

''We'll talk about that later Peebs'' she quickly said when she saw the face her asari friend made at her. That I know you're not well and don't feed me with this bullshit kind of face.

At her signal, her and Peebee burst into the room guns held high and pointed at the only figure present in the vicinity.

Five minutes and a few more threats later, they had bargained a pretty good enough deal and recovered Poc in one piece, though not completely intact. Peebee was delighted to have her bot again, but Ryder, for reasons beyond her, felt deeply agravated by Poc's current condition. Kalinda had broke into her ship, stole Peebee's bot and then broke it. What was next, her breaking into the pathfinder's quarters and steal Sara's collection of miniaturized ships model from back home just to get to Peebee?

She had become a nuisance that had to be dealt with. Peebee's hand landed on her left shoulder, snaping her back to the here and now. Only then did she realized that her fists were clenched so har that her fingers had become numb. Why was she so upseat about all this.

''I'll get her back on the Tempest and put her back together. Thanks Ryder, maybe this whole Kalinda nightmare is finally over'' said Peebee who was genuinely grateful.

''I doubt that she'll leave us be Peebee'' Sara forced herself to put enough calm in her voice, even though she was anyting but calm, for Peebee's sake. If the asari felt like she was putting to much pressure on her, she might just jet out of her life in a heartbeat, and every single agonizing pounding of her heart was beating for the astonishing asari who had stolen it since their very first encounter back on Eos.

***

Back on the Tempest, Peebee all but ran toward the escape that she borrowed and transformed it as her room, putting all her personal stuff in it. She was anxious to get to work on restauring her remnant observer.

For her part, Ryder opted to give her some space, she retired to her own quarters to rest on her bed, a cup of some old wine from her private stash from the milky way in one hand, her personal datapad in the other.

The amount of paper work from the nexus was taking all the space in her emails, annoying messages from Tann or Addisson probably. They wereblocking her from receiving messages from other also very important parties. With a heavy sigh, she opened them, read them and, according to the amount of importance in matter of priority they represented, deleted some of them to clear some space.

One message suddenly popped on the screen, demanding her attention. Once she saw the name of the sender on top of the message, she rapidly opened it with a single touch of her finger.

From: Peebee (the agitated)

Ryder I've finished my repairs on Poc, took less time then I thought, and we have to talk about something. Come see me in the escape pod PLZ.

That last part sent shivers in Sara's back, her stomach was feeling sick and she wondered what it was that Peebee really wanted to discuss.

Was every thing all right? Had Ryder done something to scare her off? Her mind was racing, all the possible that could happen after this conversation played in a loop in her mind.

She was so deep in her own thoughts that she accidentaly bumped into Liam on her way to Peebee's room, both of them stumbled on the ground.

They landed hard on the concrete floor, Liam grunted loudly and turned his head very quickly to face Ryder, he stared her in the eyes making her feel more uneasy then she was already.

''Were you practicing on me before trying to do that on Peebee?'' he asked, a stupid smile creaping on his face. '' Because let me tell you, she does a much better job at making it look graceful then you do, and you might want to work on that before you do this to her'' he finished, smirking at her.

She flushed in embarrassment, her words were blocked in her throat and she couldn't even make up a noise. Were her feelings for Peebee that obvious that everybody else on the damn ship knew that she was into her?

They both got up to their feet, Liam looked at her with amusement. She was trying to recompose herself, forcing her brain to make up even a single word, when he leaned closer to her.

''Don't think that you crashing on her like that will give you the kind of moan that you want to hear coming from her throat huh?'' he whispered in her ear, a devilish look in his eyes.

Sara's face grew hot in an instant, her cheeks had to be so red from all that awkward exchange. He knew exactly how to play with her emotions for Peebee, and he was obviously taking great pleasure in torturing her soul.

''I've got to... to make sure that Kallo and Suivi are doing fine'' she finally managed to say, her head swam in embarrassment. She felt like this was a good enough excuse, but the face Liam did told her otherwise.

''C'mon Ryder, we both know why you are heading for the bridge, do you want me to tell SAM to run a cold shower after you're done?'' he turned away from her, heading toward the research terminal, sparing her a final glance to see the expression on her face.

Sara wanted to disappear from his sight so much that, before she even realized what she was doing, rushed toward the bridge and relaxing only after the heavy doors closed shut behind her.  
***

''There you are'' Peebee heard Sara's voice behind her. A slim smile appeared on her lips at the sound of her voice and she turned around to face the pathfinder.

''Hi'' she simply answered, her tone flat and without its usual joyfulness.

''One word, one syllable, that's not like you Peebs'' answered Sara, her brows raised.

''I'm just feeling mellow'' she calmly answered. Peebee looked like she wanted to strangle someone with her bare hands.

''Look Ryder, I've received this recorded message from, well from you know who, I've already listened to it but I thought that you should too since, you know, you've helped me through all this'' she added.

She entered a command on Poc's back panel and Kalinda's voice erupted from its tiny speakers.

Hey babe, sorry I broke your pet, it lacked...versatility. Couldn't keep up. Maybe I'll do the same lwith your other new toy. Ta

''She means you. I hate her'' Peebee looked as furious as Ryder had ever seen her. Kalinda sure had a way to get under both of their skins, she could even win an award in that area.

''Really? Are you sure about that, that you hate her so much I mean?'' Sara asked. She wasn't pleased to be called a toy, she wasn't anyone's play thing.

''I don't know'' the asari said with a heavy sigh. ''It's not that she took my bot and broke her. We got Poc back and she's now better than ever. Now my scanner is fully upgraded and sweeping the whole cluster for Remnant signals. We won.'' She wanted to feel like they've won, but she knew as well as Ryder that it was far from over.

''So what's the problem?'' asked Ryder, a small smile on her lips, a smile that displayed compassion.

''It's just-old feelings that I thought I'd put behind me a long time ago . Turns out they were only buried deep inside me.'' She said before adding-

''That's what happens when you let people get into your life, you acquire baggage, and I always travel light, no baggage.''

She stepped closer to Sara, her hands taking her briefly before retreating back to her sides.

''I let Kalinda get close to me and look where that ended up. And now you've become-or becoming should I say-important to me.''

That last sentence, the way she had phrased it, the look in Peebee's eyes as she said it, made Sara's heart ache, her brain had a hard time processing all that. Her head felt light and her legs threatened to let go at any moment.

Peebee cared for her more than as a simple friend. She had just voiced what Ryder had always suspected but never had the pleasure of hearing. Peebee hadn't asked her to start a relationship with her, but she did admit to have deeper feelings for her, and that was a big step forward.

''I need some time to think, a little space. Hopefully my scaner will pick up something extraordinary and make all that Kalinda shit worthwile.'' She flashed a quick grin at Ryder and watched as her friend noded and silently left the room. Watched as her superb dark brown hair waved from right to left as she walked, watched the slight sway of Ryder's hips as she reached the bridge's main door leading to the other half of the ship, looked at her until she disappeared from her sight.

She turned toward Poc, giving the bot the totality of her attention, trying to distract her mind from all this. She felt so good in Sara's presence, she was a kind and understanding person who loved her for what she was. But before pursuing anything with Ryder, she needed time to think, to reorganize her thoughts.  
All that, she knew, would only delay the inevitable. One day, she would have to accept her feelings and admit them to Sara before it is too late. She will, when she'll be ready. Kalinda had deeply injured her soul and heart and Peebee wanted, no, needed them to heal for Ryder, but most importantly, for herself.


End file.
